Schedule Your Own Off-Season

Walter Bond is a former player in the National Basketball Assocation who is now a professional speaker. He's taken the concept of the "off season," which all professional athletes enjoy, and adapted it for his current business model. He writes, "An 'off season' is designed to give you an edge in your career and in your personal life by isolating areas for continouse improvement. It is not a vacation, nor a sabbatical. It is an annual break dedicated to retool, regroup, refresh and refocus for optimal performance improvement."

Many work-at-home moms tell me that they let their business lie fallow between Thanksgiving and the New Year. Admittedly, it's a slow time for me as well and I appreciate the fact that my business slows down just as the holidays are speeding up! And though I've always taken the time to do some business planning during the month of December, I've been inspired by Bond to go even further. He says that each year he takes apart his business and reassmbles it so that he's more effective. I'll admit that I've never gone to this much trouble but I plan to do some serious thinking this year. If you'd like to join me, here are a few questions to get you started:

• What's not currently working in my business?


• What activities are most profitable for me? Least profitable?


• Which activities do I get the most personal pleasure out of? The least?


• Are there tasks that I can contract out cost effectively?


• What professionals, if any, do I need to add to my team (i.e. tax preparer, accountant)?


• How can I market my business more effectively?


• Are my expenses in line with my income or could I benefit by reducing expenses?


• Am I saving a portion of what I make each year? And if so, are some of these savings for retirement?

• Are there revenue streams I should consider adding next year? If so, what is the best way to introduce them, and do I need help creating this revenue stream?

• Is my business stressing me out? If so, how can I reinvent my business so it's a source of pleasure and not stress?

The above questions will get you started thinking about how you might be more effective in the new year. If it's your off-season, this is a perfect time to retool, regroup, refresh and refocus.

www.makingworkathomework.com

Work at Home Advice and Encouragement NOW!

I had the great privilege recently of doing a four-part teleseminar series about successfully working from home with Jill Hart, founder of Christian Work at Home Moms (http://www.cwahm.com/). We discussed everything from child care to marketing to managing the financial side of your business.

Because we know work-at-home moms are busy, we taped the series and are now making it available as an instant download. You can buy one or all four of the seminars and listen to them at your convenience. The seminars are on sale right now.

If you're looking for valuable advice and encouragement or just need a little pick-me-up as we enter the busy holiday season, I hope you'll consider investing in your future as a business owner. And the best part? Your purchase is tax deductible!

Click here to challenge yourself as a work-at-home CEO now: http://thewahgirls.com/listenno/.

http://www.makingworkathomework.com/

Holiday Home/Work Balance Tips

Hi Friends,

As I look ahead to the approaching holiday season, I thought I share a few suggestions for you to consider for your business.

• Give yourself a break. Most employees will get time off for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sometimes I give myself time off, too. But I'm not always intentional about it. This year, I'm going to actually mark off a couple of days that I'm gifting to myself. I'll turn on my auto reply and get myself out of the office. I know it will feel good and will be rejuvenating for me.
• Make a list of office supply and equipment needs. I know it is difficult to spend money on work when you need to spend money on holiday gifts. But there are two great reasons to make work related purchases this month and next. One, there are great sales. Two, if you've had a successful year in 2009, you can reduce your taxable income by purchasing things you need (and want) for your business.
• Consider developing a one-page plan for next year. I spend one morning each December writing a one-page business plan for myself. I simply identify four or five initiatives that would help my business. I capture them on paper, jot down my action plans, and post it on my wall. This helps keep me focused throughout the year.
• Set a financial goal (unless it will make you a slave to your business). I set financial goals for myself early in my business. But I abandoned them when they became the be-all and end-all for me even though I had two preschool aged children. Instead, I focused on taking the work that came my way. No more, no less. Now, however, I've started setting goals again. And I'm pleased to report that I had my best year ever in 2009! Don't be a slave to a goal. But consider setting one if it will motivate and encourage you or if you have something special you're saving for.
• Take time to be thankful. I am grateful I get to work from home. Sometimes I forget my gratitude when I'm overwhelmed or behind in my work. But I don't want to lose sight of what a privilege it is to run my own business. I plan to keep this in the forefront of my mind as I approach this holiday season.

Feel free to hit the comment button and add a few thoughts of your own.

www.makingworkathomework.com

Would You Like to Write for My Blog?

Yesterday I shared a post from fellow entrepreneur Joy Duling. Becuase I love to learn from other people, I'd like to invite you to submit a blog post. If yours is selected, I'll include information about you and your work and a link to your website.

You can write about anything you like related to being a work-at-home mom. Posts should be no more than 500 words (preferably less). You'll retain the copyright.

Consider writing about the toughest lesson you ever learned as an entrepreneur or the best advice you've gotten. Or how about productivity, organizing, computer shortcuts, or marketing tips? The list is endless. All I ask is that you make the post specific enough to be of help to fellow at-home entrepreneurs.

Send your post to me at mbyers@marybyers.com with "Blog Post" in the subject line. I can't wiat to read your advice!

www.makingworkathomework.com

Rules to Live By

From Mary: Following is a guest post from my friend Joy Duling:

Working from home can often turn into a balancing act. The duties of work and home begin to overlap, and often one can take over. Many moms decide to work at home to spend more time with their families, but end up dedicating even more time to work. Here are a few tips to help you juggle.

1. Get organized. Figure out what your goals and priorities are, in your business and in your personal life, then figure out how to achieve them. Then put your house, office, and life in general, together in a way that will help you achieve your goals.

2. Lists, lists, lists. One you have your plans and goals, make to-do lists. Try to organize your lists by priority. If something doesn’t get done, it probably wasn’t that important anyway.

3. Multitask. At some point, you’re probably going to get burned out doing things that seem tedious or that you just don’t want to do. Try mixing it up. If something is really stressing you out, go on to something else and come back. As a WAHM, there’s always something else that needs to get done.

4. Set work hours, and follow them. Set work hours for times when the kids aren’t around, or don’t require a lot of attention. When your work hours are done, stop working. If you can’t manage to get your work done, you may need to reset your work hours, but you most likely need to look at how much work you can actually take on.

5. Make a separate space for work and family. While it may be easy to work and play in the same area, it helps to have a dedicated office area when you work from home. This will help you focus on what you need to be doing, and even help protect you from getting your work disrupted by your family.

6. Get the family to help. Sure, if your kids are young, they aren’t going to be able to help with much, but even very small children can often help organize the house or dry dishes. Make sure everyone does their part.

7. Take time for you. When balancing work and family, you often forget an important part of the equation: you. When scheduling your work and family, always schedule some time to relax, socialize, and do what you like to do.

8. Make friends. Even if you don’t get to see them a lot, friends are an important part of maintaining your physical and mental health. Remember to take time to keep your friendships alive.

9. Stay positive. One of the biggest keys to success is keeping a positive attitude. You’ll be surprised what you can accomplish as long as you believe you can do it. Plus, you’ll be setting a great life example for your kids at the same time.

10. Remember that you are unique. Trying to fit into someone else’s schedule and someone else’s plan isn’t necessarily going to be successful. You need to tailor your plan into your family’s unique needs and find something that works for you.

All great visionaries need someone behind the scenes who helps them create a solid plan to move from Point A to Point B. As a Business Strategist and Managing Director of the professional services firm, A 25 Hour Day LLC, Joy Duling plays that role, helping time-pressed professionals find the focus, systems and accountability they need to achieve their goals. You can learn more about Joy's work at http://www.a25hourday.com/.

www.markingworkathomework.com